Bieber’s laptop set divides fans
Justin Bieber headlined Saturday at 11:25 p.m. PDT and his late set—built around a laptop and lean on lesser‑known songs—divided reaction online. ( ) Reports say he took the stage in a hoodie, streamed snippets of hits from YouTube during the performance, and it marked his first full‑length live set in nearly four years—coverage that was then amplified by reaction clips on YouTube. ( )
Justin Bieber’s first Coachella headline set ended with fans arguing over the format as much as the songs. (newsweek.com, independent.co.uk) He took the Coachella Stage in Indio, California, on Saturday, April 11, at about 11:30 p.m., opening with songs from his 2025 albums “Swag” and “Swag II” instead of a run of older hits. (newsweek.com, hollywoodreporter.com) Midway through the set, Bieber sat with a laptop, pulled up YouTube clips on the giant screens, and sang snippets of “Baby,” “Never Say Never,” “Beauty and a Beat,” and other early songs. (hollywoodreporter.com, abcnews.com, setlist.fm) The show was sparse by Coachella headliner standards. Rolling Stone reported no real stage production, no dancers, and long stretches with Bieber alone on a large stage, while ABC described the performance as built around a laptop and the festival livestream. (rollingstone.com, abcnews.com) That approach landed differently depending on what viewers wanted from his first major live show in four years. ABC framed it as an intimate return after his 2022 Ramsay Hunt syndrome diagnosis and time away from touring, while Rolling Stone said the stripped-down pacing led to a mid-set exodus. (abcnews.com, rollingstone.com) The set also doubled as a reset for Bieber’s current catalog. The Hollywood Reporter said he leaned heavily on the “Swag” era, and setlist data shows 11 songs from “Swag” and four from “Swag II,” with older material mostly folded into a medley rather than performed in full. (hollywoodreporter.com, setlist.fm) He did bring out guests late in the show, including The Kid Laroi for “Stay,” plus Dijon, Tems, Wizkid, and Mk.gee. (hollywoodreporter.com, rollingstone.com) The online reaction spread quickly through recap clips and commentary videos after the livestream ended. One widely shared YouTube reaction package focused on Bieber duetting with his younger self and turning old internet clips into part of the set’s storyline. (youtube.com, abcnews.com) Bieber is scheduled to play Coachella again on Friday, April 18, for the festival’s second weekend. That gives him one more shot to test whether the laptop-heavy format plays better as a comeback statement or stays the part fans keep arguing about. (setlist.fm, newsweek.com)
